Month: July 2015

On Friday, July 31st, I wanted to get out for another hike on the Finger Lakes Trail. I decided to hike a section of map 16 from Boylan Road to Stevenson Forest Preserve on Trubmle Corners Road where I had left off on a previous hike. The distance out seemed to be only 5.4 miles back and I planned to use local roads to form a loop with the return portion being the same length or less. When I got up at 6:10 AM the temperature was 56 degrees and there was a lot of fog in the valley. We left Livingston Manor at right around 6:30 AM and as I drove north on State Route 17 the fog began to lift and the temperature rose into the low 60’s. I continued on Route 17 to exit 64 at Owego and headed north from there on Route 96 through Candor and Spencer. North of Spencer I picked up Newfield depot Road and followed it into Newfield where I picked up Trumbull Corners Road and continued to head west. Trumbull Corners Road changed to Blovsky Hill Road and then to Carter Creek Road. Somewhere along this route the paved road turned to gravel. I turned north on Lloyd Starkes Road and entered the Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area. Continue reading →

On Tuesday, July 28th, I wanted to get out for another hike on the Finger Lakes Trail. I decided to hike a section of map 16 from Stevenson Forest Preserve on Trubmle Corners Road to Rt 13 near Robert Treman State Park where I had left off on a previous hike. The distance of the hike was hard to judge precisely since a trail closing and a missing bridge forced two changes in the trail. Of course, the problem is that I usually have to hike both ways as I have no ride back from the end point. This means hiking, for example, hiking 12 miles to get a 6 mile section of trail. On many hikes I have used other trails of road walks to avoid a strict out-and-back which can be extremely boring! I was also concerned about the forecast for temperatures into the upper 80’s and high humidity. When I got up the temperature was 62 degrees and there was a lot of fog in the valley. We left Livingston Manor at right around 6:30 AM and as I drove north on State Route 17 the fog began to lift and the temperature rose into the high 60’s. I continued on Route 17 to exit 64 at Owego and headed north from there on Route 96 through Candor and Spencer. Continue reading →

The week of July 26th should begin with periods of sun and a chance of thunderstorms on Sunday and Monday with temperatures both days in the high 70’s or low 80’s. By Tuesday the skies clear and the temperatures rise into the mid 80’s with increasing humidity. Wednesday may be the warmest days with highs in the high 80’s. Thursday should also be sunny with temperatures in the mid 80’s. By Friday thunderstorms again may appear with highs in the low 80’s. Saturday will be more comfortable with lower humidity and temperatures in the low 70’s. Sunscreen and insect repellant would be a good addition to your pack. Keep hydrated since you will be able to hiker longer and in greater comfort. Once you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

On Saturday, July 25th, I wanted to get out for another hike on the Finger Lakes Trail. The last section of map 17 for me was the first section of the map running 7.3 miles from Route 13 near Ithaca to Comfort Road where I had started my last hike. Of course, the problem is that I usually have to hike both ways as I have no ride back from the end point. This means hiking, for example, hiking 12 miles to get a 6 mile section of trail. On many hikes I have used other trails of road walks to avoid a strict out-and-back which can be extremely boring! The problem with the section I chose was that there was some question about crossing the Cayuga Inlet right at the beginning of the hike. Flooding had deepened and widened the stream which might make it impassable. The railroad bridge over the stream is in use and is a privately owned structure. Continue reading →

On Thursday, July 23rd, I wanted to get out for another hike on my 63rd birthday. I decided I wanted return to the Finger Lakes Trail to the a section of map 17 which is the next map to the west of my completed sections. This section starts at the junction of Routes 96,13 and 34 near Ithaca and continues southeast for 19 miles to the intersection of Heisey Rd and Eastman Hill Rd northwest of Candor. Of course, the problem is that I usually have to hike both ways as I have no ride back from the end point. This means hiking, for example, hiking 12 miles to get a 6 mile section of trail. On many hikes I have used other trails of road walks to avoid a strict out-and-back which can be extremely boring! I checked the weather forecast when I got up found sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 70’s with no chance of rain. Continue reading →

On Wednesday, July 22nd, I decided I wanted return to the Finger Lakes Trail my first section of map 17 which is the next map to the west of my completed sections. This section starts at the junction of Routes 96,13 and 34 near Ithaca and continues southeast for 19 miles to the intersection of Heisey Rd and Eastman Hill Rd northwest of Candor. Of course, the problem is that I usually have to hike both ways as I have no ride back from the end point. This means hiking, for example, hiking 12 miles to get a 6 mile section of trail. On many hikes I have used other trails of road walks to avoid a strict out-and-back which can be extremely boring! I checked the weather forecast when I got up found sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 70’s with no chance of rain. Continue reading →

On Monday, July 20th, I decided I wanted to hike a newly rerouted section of trail near Marathon. This section of trail used to head north on West River Road to Blodgett Mills and then south along Route 11 to Hoxie Gorge Road. This was necessitated because the Tioughnionga River flows between West River Road and Route 11 and there are a limited number of bridges. The new route travels south along West River Road to Route 392, crosses the river on a road bridge and then for only .7 miles. It then turns east onto Steve Russell Hill Road for 1.2 miles before cutting left into the woods. The rest of the trail flows a completely new route cut through Hoxie Gorge State Forest before joining the old trail near The Cornell property near Hoxie Gorge Road. Continue reading →

On Sunday, July 19th, I decided to head for Big Pond to do some trail maintenance on the Touch-Me-Not Trail from Big Pond to Little Pond. I recently adopted this trail for the Finger Lakes Trail Conference as it had not been maintained in a few years. This winter I hike the trail and lost the blazes several times when the trail was covered by deep snow. My intention is to clear the trail from Barkaboom Road to Beech Hill Road and then realize the sections that need it. I had already worked on the trail several weeks ago and had to remove several blowdowns before I could trim back the nettles and briars. By the time I got to the latter I was a little tired and was only able to trim the ones directly in the trail using my manual hedge trimmers. This time I was returning with a Stihl power Scythe on loan from the Finger Lakes Trail Conference. The Power Scythe is gas powered and has a cutting bar just less than 3 feet long! It cuts grass and weeds just fine but will also cut branches and brush! The drawback is that it weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 pounds and requires a supply of gasoline. I knew this would be perfect for the work I had to do. I packed the essentials in an older pack and included a gallon of gas mixed with chainsaw oil. I disappointed Sheila by leaving her at home but the work I was doing was too dangerous to bring her along. I come to get to work early as the temperature was forecast to rise during the day. I drove up the Beaverkill Road and turned left onto the Barkaboom Road just before Turnwood. I drove to Big Pond and found several cars already there. After parking, I got out the power scythe, shouldered my pack and crossed the road to start my work. I had cleaned out a good part of the first part of the trail so I simply walked until I began to encounter some nettles. Already the power scythe seemed heavy! I dropped my tank, filled the gas tank and prayed it would start. I guess I need not have worried since it started right up and I got to work. I walked up the trail cutting on both sides as I went. The work seemed to go quickly and the power scythe seemed lighter in use. I got to the beginning of an ascent and stopped there. I left the power scythe and hiked back to get my pack. I was surprised how far I had come and as I hiked back up the trail, I decided I would try wearing the pack while working. I filled the gas tank again, stared it up and began cutting.

I was not easy to climb while carrying the power scythe and cut at the same time but I developed a technique. I had noticed when I stopped that I was a little hard of hearing and my hands would not stop tingling! I continued climbing and cutting nettles. They got more plentiful the higher I climbed although the trail was shaded and not particularly wet. I was careful to cut a wide swathe so that they would be less likely to grow back and block the trail again. I also cut back some brush, a few small trees and overhanging branches. At some point the nettles stopped and there wasn’t too much to cut until the briars started. I attacked the briars as best I could but my arms were starting to get very tired. I noticed this more when I had to raise the tool to cut branches. The briars were harder to cut as they are thicker than nettles and tend to start farther back and hang out over the trail. In the end, they never had a chance. I though I would never get to the top of the ascent but eventually the ground leveled. I wanted to get to the trail junction as that was my goal and I remembered in needed some trimming. Of course, I ran out of gas at before getting there1 I decided to walk to the trail junction and refill the tank there. When I got to the junction, I filled the tank and took drank a lot of water. After starting the machine again, I cleared the junction and then began trimming on my way back to the car. I actually left the power scythe on for some time trimming a few things that I had missed on the way up. At one point I looked up to see a young man and woman hiking toward me in shorts. They said “hello” and asked about the distance to Cabot Mountain. I replied and suggested that shorts might not be the best choice for the nettles on the way to Cabot. When I got to the steeper descent, I shut down the power scythe and carried it the rest of the way. I WA sure it had gotten heavier and that it weighed more turn off than when cutting! I made it back to the car by 1:00 PM. I was glad since I was tired and there seemed to be thousands of small black flies on the trail on the way back!

The week of July 19th began with a warm and partly sunny Sunday with temperatures reaching the high 80’s. Overnight thunderstorms could bring heavy rain and highw ends to the area. On Monday temperatures are expected to reach the low 80’s with sunny skies and some clouds. Tuesday expect thunderstorms in but the morning and afternoon but with partly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80’s. Wednesday should bring plenty of sunshine with temperatures dropping back into the mid 70’s. Thursday should also be nice with temperatures in the mid 70’s and partly sunny skies. Friday and Saturday are expected to by sunny and nice with temperatures rising from the low 70’s on Friday to the high 70’s on Saturday. Sunscreen and insect repellant would be a good addition to your pack. Keep hydrated since you will be able to hiker longer and in greater comfort. Once you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

On Saturday, July 18th, I decided I wanted to hike a newly rerouted section of trail near Marathon. This section of trail used to head north on West River Road to Blodgett Mills and then south along Route 11 to Hoxie Gorge Road. This was necessitated because the Tioughnionga River flows between West River Road and Route 11 and there are a limited number of bridges. The new route travels south along West River Road to Route 392, crosses the river on a road bridge and then for only .7 miles. It then turns east onto Steve Russell Hill Road for 1.2 miles before cutting left into the woods. The rest of the trail flows a completely new route cut through Noxie Gorge State Forest before joining the old trail near The Cornell property near Hoxie Gorge Road. Continue reading →